ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Election Commission
Service Voters Play Important Role in Close Contests in Election
Uttarakhand has Sizeable Number of Service Voters
LokSabha elections 2019 are going to see the enthusiasm of various segments of voters including service voters. As per the data sourced from the ECI website, this year a total of 16,62,993 service voters are enrolled in the country, in comparison to the figure of 13,27,627 in 2014. While States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan have larger number of service voters, Uttarakhand has also got around 88,600 services voters. Garhwal parliamentary constituency has maximum number of service voter among all the five constituencies of the State, since 2004 till date.This figure becomes significant, considering the population of the State.The increase in number of service voters has been due to Election Commission’s all out efforts to maximise the registration of service electors during summary revision 2019 and active cooperation of the services/departments concerned and greater participation of service personnel.
In cases of close contests, service voters play crucial and decisive role. Service voter are those who have service qualification. They include member of Armed Forces of the Union of India, members of Armed Police forces of the States serving outside that state and persons employed under Government of India on posts outside India. As per existing arrangements, members of India Army, Navy and Air force, Boarder Road Organisation, BSF, ITBP, Assam Rifles, NSG, CRPF, CISF and SSB are eligible to be registered as service voters.
A Service Voter can cast his/her vote by proxy also. They may appoint  any person as his/her proxy to cast vote on his/her behalf in his/her at the polling station. Proxy should be a registered voter of that constituency.
A Service Portal has also been created for the help of Service Voters. More information can be obtained from www.servicevoter.nic.in.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
MSP Operations during Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21
In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season  2020-21, Government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at its MSP from farmers as per its existing MSP Schemes.
Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala,Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra with purchase of over 313.25LMTs of paddy up to 27.11.2020 against the last year corresponding purchase of 264.32LMT showing an increase of 18.51 % over last year. Out of the total purchase of 313.25 LMT, Punjab alone has contributed 202.70 LMT which is 64.71 % of total procurement.
About 28.95 Lac farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs. 59142.08 Crore.
Further, based on the proposal from the States, approval was accorded for procurement of 45.24 LMT of Pulse and Oilseeds of Kharif Marketing Season 2020 for the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh under Price Support Scheme . Further, sanction for procurement of 1.23 LMT of Copra  for the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala was also given. For other States/UTs, approval will also be accorded on receipt of proposals for procurement of Pulses, Oilseeds and Copra under PSS so that procurement of FAQ grade of these crops can be made at notified MSP for the year 2020-21 directly from the registered farmers, if the market rate goes below MSP during the notified harvesting period in the respective States/UTs by the Central Nodal Agencies through State nominated procuring agencies.
Upto 27.11.2020, the Government through its Nodal Agencies has procured 95318.50 MT of Moong, Urad, Groundnut Pods and Soyabean having MSP value of Rs.513.62 Crores benefitting 54891 farmers in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Similarly, 5089 MT of copra  having MSP value of Rs.52.40 crore has been procured benefitting 3961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Naduupto 27.11.2020 as against the last year corresponding purchase of 293.34 MT of copra. In respect of Copra and Urad, rates are ruling above MSP in most of the major producing States. The respective State/UTs Governments are making necessary arrangements for commencement of procurement from the date as decided by the respective States based on the arrivals in respect of Kharif Pulses and Oilseeds.
Procurement operations of seed cotton  under MSP are going on smoothly in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat,Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka. Till 27.11.2020 a quantity of 2762824 cotton bales valuing Rs.8127.83 Crore has been procured benefitting 556081 farmers.
Ministry of Railways
Mega Vendor Meet 2019 to be held at Lucknow on 30th August 2019to show-case greater business opportunities in Railway Sector
This is to encourage Industries' participation in Indian Railways Supply Chain
No participation fee for attending the meet
The research arm of Indian Railways, Research Designs and Standards Organization  is organizing a special Mega Vendor Meet at RDSO in a significant move to show-case greater business opportunities in Railway sector in Lucknow on 30th August, 2019. Industries from across the country are invited for this vendor meet to encourage their participation in Indian Railways supply chain development. No participation fee for attending the meet has been kept to ensure wider participation. In line with Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ programme, RDSO through such meets and other endeavors continues to reach out to Indian industry and encourage them to be the active partners in nation building.
In the meet, special focus will be on those RDSO controlled items which have less than three  RDSO approved vendors. This list has been put on RDSO website www.rdso.indianrailways.gov.in.
During the meet, RDSO shall make presentation about “Enhancement for ease of doing business”. The meet shall make available a platform for direct one-to-one interaction and discussions of Industry with RDSO. Live display of selected RDSO items shall be kept at the meeting venue.
For wider proliferation of information about this Vendor meet, following actions have been taken:
- Intimation has been sent to Industrial bodies, such as FICCI, CII, ASSOCHAM, IEEMA for spreading awareness and inviting participation of Industries in the Meet.
- GMs and PCMMs of Zonal Railways and PUs have been requested to bring it to the notice of prospective vendors and encourage their participation. Standees and posters have been displayed in Zonal Railways and Division’s offices.
It may be worthwhile to mention that RDSO has already initiated some measures to encourage vendors to register themselves for RDSO controlled items with less than three sources. For example, registration charges for items with less than three sources has been reduced from Rs. 1,50,000/- to Rs. 10,000/- for micro/small enterprises and from Rs. 2,50,000/- to Rs. 50,000/- for others. Moreover, product testing charges shall also be borne by RDSO for such items.
Ministry of Finance
Central Public Sector Enterprises  due payments to MSMEs
The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has been monitoring, on a monthly basis, the performance of the 32 top Maharatna and Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprises  to review their capital expenditure and the dues to vendors with specific emphasis on MSME vendors since August 2019.
Clear directions have been given that the CPSEs must ensure that regular payments are cleared expeditiously as it spurs investment cycle. Special efforts must be made to clear dues of MSMEs and resolve cases on the SAMADHAN portal of Department of MSME. Secretary  wrote a letter in the last week of April 2020 to the Secretaries of the Ministers and Departments requesting them to monitor the due payments by the CPSEs.
Public procurement as a percentage of GDP in the country is estimated between 20% to 22%. The share of the gross turnover of CPSEs to the Gross Domestic Product  of India at current prices is around 15 to 16%. The Government wants the CPSEs to double their contribution to the Gross Domestic Product  and be the “third major source” of revenue for the Centre after direct and indirect taxes. CPSEs must make efforts to reduce the country’s imports bill and expanding India’s global strategic reach by 2022.
Responding to the instructions given by the Union Minster of Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitahraman in her meeting with the top officials of the CPSEs in September 2019 and constant monitoring by Department of Expenditure, CPSEs have reduced their payment cycle considerably for the vendors in general and MSME vendors in particular.
Data collected from the CPSEs as on 31st March 2020 showed that they had pending bills from the MSMEs worth Rs. 775.76 crore as on 1st March 2020. Bills worth Rs. 2,730.46 crore were received during the month and a total of Rs. 2,813.39 crore were paid till 31st March 2020. For the month of April 2020, bills worth Rs. 1,598.27 crore were received and the CPSEs made payment of Rs. 1,785.78 crore leaving a balance of Rs. 512.34 crore. It has been stated that majority of the bills were received in the last week of April and under process for payment.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
French actor Isabelle Huppert to be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Jubilee edition of International Film Festival of India  2019.
50th edition of IFFI to showcase 50 films of 50 women directors: Shri Prakash Javadekar
One of the most famous and most popular French actor of her generation Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert will be conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Jubilee edition of International Film Festival of India  2019.
This was announced by Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi today. “Happy to announce that Life Time Achievement Award will be conferred on French Actor Isabelle Huppert”, said Shri Javadekar
The Union Minister further said that the 50th edition of IFFI will showcase fifty films of fifty women directors which reflect the contribution of women in cinema.
“Among the 200 foreign films which will be showcased at IFFI in Goa this year, 24 films are in the race for Oscar nominations”, informed Shri Javadekar
The Lifetime Achievement Award, IFFI, is the highest honour and the most prestigious award of the festival. The award carries a cash prize of INR 10,000,00/- .The French actor will be conferred this prestigious award for her remarkable artistic skills and her outstanding journey and vivid contribution to Cinema.
She has appeared in more than 120 films since her debut in 1971. She is the most nominated actress for the César Award, with 16 nominations. She twice won the César Award for Best Actress, for La Cérémonie and Elle.
In 2016, Huppert garnered international acclaim for her performance in Elle, which earned her a Golden Globe Award, an Independent Spirit Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Also a prolific stage actress, Huppert is the most nominated actress for the Molière Award, with 7 nominations. Huppert was also the President of the Jury at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, from 13 May to 24 May 2009. She is one of only four women who have twice won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival: in 1978 for her role in Violette Nozière by Claude Chabrol  and in 2001 for The Piano Teacher by Michael Haneke.
Huppert was twice voted Best Actress at the European Film Awards: in 2001 for playing Erika Kohut in The Piano Teacher, and in 2002 with the entire cast of 8 Women . The latter cast also won a Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution, at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival.
Huppert won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Elle.
Ministry of Defence
Indian Navy Sailing Championship 2021 to be conducted in Mumbai from October 1 – 5, 2021
: Mumbai, September 30, 2021
Indian Navy Watermanship Training Centre , Mumbai is set to conduct the largest intra-Navy sailing regatta, the ‘Indian Navy Sailing Championship – 2021’ from October 1-5, 2021. Yachtsmen and women from all three Commands of the Indian Navy viz., Western Naval Command, Eastern Naval Command and Southern Naval Command, will be honing and demonstrating their sailing and watermanship skills in Mumbai harbour over the next five days.
Over 90 participants will take part in the event, competing in seven different classes of boats. The concept of Team Racing in Enterprise and Match Racing in J24 classes of boats is being re-introduced to facilitate enhanced team spirit and instill leadership qualities amongst the participants. The overall Champion for the event will be declared on completion of all races on 05 Oct 21.
A sail parade by 75 participants will also be conducted off INWTC  on October 1, 2021. It is one of the events being conducted by the Indian Navy to commemorate the 75th year of India’s Independence .
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Maritime India Summit-2021 concludes today with ‘Chabahar Day’
‘The 21st century will not belong to land; it will be a century of the seas, skies and space. Atma Nirbhar Maritime Sector would be foundation of the New India and ‘AatmNirabhar Bharat’: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya
The Second edition of Virtual Maritime India Summit-2021 concluded today. The three-day maritime conference was one of the biggest virtual maritime summits of the world.
In his key note address of Chabahar day Session, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said that Chabahar Port project will be developed as transit hub for cross connectivity between the India and Eurasia and further added that Chabahar Port handled 123 vessels and total 13,752 TEUs and 18 lakh tons of bulk / general cargo. Chabahar Port has emerged as the “connecting point” for the region to deliver humanitarian assistance during the COVID pandemic, added Shri Mandaviya. Shri Mandaviya reiterated the importance of the maritime sector and said, ‘The 21st century will not belong to land; it will be a century of the seas, skies and space’.
In the Valedictory Session of Maritime India Summit-2021, Shri Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, additional secretary of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways briefed about the summit and added that about 1.90 lakh delegates registered for the summit,16 international ministers from 11 nations joined for different sessions. A total of six union ministers, chief ministers of three states and two state ministers having joined us for different sessions. A total of 55 CEOs, which included 31 international CEOs and 24 Indian CEOs joined during the CEO’s forum . A total of 110 exhibitors joined during the summit, in 18 pavilions and 107 booths, which led to 5,540 B2B meetings. A total of more than 64,000 visitors were recorded during the three days of the summit.
In his concluding remark, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya said, ‘Maritime India Summit-2021 will empower and strengthen Maritime India Vision-2030 which was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the inauguration of the summit. Due to MIS-2021, the expectations and the aspirations of the world towards India has increased. We have to keep marching towards achieving our goal. MoU signed during the summit should borne successful outcome with our dedicated and focused efforts’. Shri Mandaviya ended with optimism and said, “AatmNirbhar Maritime Sector’ would be foundation of the New India and ‘AatmNirabhar India”
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Mega Voter Awareness Campaign to be flagged off in Mumbai tomorrow
A Mega Voter Awareness Campaign is being launched across ten Lok Sabha constituencies of Maharashtra, which have had low voter turnout. The campaign is being organized by Regional Outreach Bureau, Pune , Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in co-ordination with office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra.
The campaign is being flagged off at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Railway Station, Mumbai on 2nd April 2019 at 4.00 PM. The theme of the campaign is #NoVoterToBeLeftBehind.
Following the symbolic flag-off, rallies will be organised in Mumbai South, Pune, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Solapur, Satara, Aurangabad, Jalgaon, Dhule and Kalyan during April 2-28, 2019.
10 Mobile vans will visit more than 1,200 locations to improve voter awareness. Troupes of Song & Drama Division will perform during the campaign. In Mumbai, they will perform for four days, during April 25-28, 2019.
The campaign will provide information on the following:
-
PwD  App
-
cVigil App
-
Use of EVM and VVPAT
-
10 alternatives for Voter ID Card , which can be used for voting on polling day
The schedule of the campaign is as follows:
|
|
Sl. No
|
|
Constituency Name
|
|
Date of Polling
|
|
Campaign Start Date
|
|
Campaign End Date
|
|
Flag-off venue
|
|
Tentative Flag-off date and time
|
|
1
|
|
Mumbai South
|
|
29/04/2019
|
|
2/04/2019
|
|
5/04/2019
|
|
Mumbai South 
|
|
2/4/2019 at 4 pm
|
|
25/4/2019
|
|
28/4/2019
|
|
2
|
|
Pune
|
|
23/04/2019
|
|
3/04/2019
|
|
9/04/2019
|
|
District Collectorate
|
|
3/4/2019 at 10 am
|
|
3
|
|
Nagpur
|
|
11/04/2019
|
|
8/04/2019
|
|
10/04/2019
|
|
District Collectorate
|
|
8/4/2019 at 11 am
|
|
4
|
|
Chandrapur
|
|
11/04/2019
|
|
8/04/2019
|
|
10/04/2019
|
|
District Collectorate
|
|
8/4/2019 at 11 am
|
|
5
|
|
Solapur
|
|
18/04/2019
|
|
11/04/2019
|
|
17/04/2019
|
|
District Collectorate
|
|
11/4/2019 at 11 am
|
|
6
|
|
Satara
|
|
23/04/2019
|
|
16/04/2019
|
|
22/04/2019
|
|
District Collectorate
|
|
16/4/2019 at 11 am
|
|
7
|
|
Aurangabad
|
|
23/04/2019
|
|
16/04/2019
|
|
22/04/2019
|
|
District Collectorate
|
|
16/4/2019 at 11 am
|
|
8
|
|
Jalgaon
|
|
23/04/2019
|
|
16/04/2019
|
|
22/04/2019
|
|
District Collectorate
|
|
16/4/2019 at 11 am
|
|
9
|
|
Dhule
|
|
29/04/2019
|
|
22/04/2019
|
|
28/04/2019
|
|
District Collectorate
|
|
22/4/2019 at 11 am
|
|
10
|
|
Kalyan
|
|
29/04/2019
|
|
22/04/2019
|
|
28/04/2019
|
|
District Collectorate
|
|
22/4/2019 at 11 am
Ministry of Finance
Finance Minister’s Awards conferred on employees of Income Tax Department today
The prestigious Finance Minister’s Awards were conferred on employees of the Income Tax Department at a presentation ceremony held today at Kedarnath Sahni Auditorium, Civic Centre, Minto Road, Delhi. Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs conferred the awards in the presence of Shri Pankaj Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Finance and Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Union Minister of State for Finance. Chairman, CBDT and Members, CBDT were also present.
The Finance Minister’s Award is conferred in different grades on employees, who, by their innovative ideas and special efforts as well as sustained devotion and commitment to duty, have contributed to promoting excellence in diverse areas of Direct Taxation. The areas for which the awards are considered include  taxpayer services and facilitation/communication, including ease of doing business and grievance redressal;  designing and re-engineering of business processes including automation;  enforcement, including tax assessment, investigation, recovery and prosecution;  widening of tax base;  international taxation and transfer pricing;  litigation management and judicial functions;  audit functions and improving accountability;  infrastructure development;  human resource development, including training and capacity building;  policy making and Secretariat functions.
The Finance Minister's awards comprise a medal and a citation/certificate. Twenty-six  employees have been conferred the Finance Minister’s Award 2022. Their names and the specific areas for which their exceptional contributions have been recognized are mentioned in the list. Please CLICK HERE to access the list.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
191.37cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India's Active caseload currently stands at17,317
Active cases standat 0.04%
Recovery Rate currently at 98.74%
2,550recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
4,25,82,243
2,202new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
84.41cr Total Tests conducted so far; 2,97,242tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Ministry of Defence
MARKETING OF INDIGENOUSLY DEVELOPED DEFENCE EQUIPMENT
The following initiatives have been taken by the Government to facilitate marketing of indigenously-developed defence equipment to international players:
· The export of items specified in Category 6  is governed by the extant Standard Operating Procedure  issued by the Ministry of Defence. The SOP has been streamlined and simplified from time to time for promotion of defence export and ease of doing business.
· An end to end portal – www.defenceexim.gov.in – has been developed for receipt & processing of applications for grant of Export Authorisation. Export Authorisations are digitally signed and issued through the portal.
· Ministry of Defence has brought in three OGELs ; one for the select parts and components; another for intra-company transfer of technology and third for major platforms.
· An Export Promotion Cell has been established in Ministry of Defence to co-ordinate and follow-up on export related action including enquiries received from various countries and facilitate private sector and public sector companies for export promotion.
· Defence Attachés have been mandated for export promotion of Indigenous defence products of both public and private sector. For export promotion of indigenously manufactured equipment, a scheme is in place wherein Defence Attachés are provided financial support as per their annual requirement to promote export of indigenous defence equipment.
· Subject to strategic considerations, domestically manufactured defence products are being promoted through Lines of Credit/Funding.
· Export leads received from various stakeholders are disseminated to the registered Indian Defence Exporters through online portal. This facility helps the Indian defence exporters to quickly respond to export opportunities arising in other countries.
· Two export booklets i.e. ‘Indian Defence Industry, a Global reach’ and ‘Catalogue Indian Defence Industry 2022’ for promotion of Indigenous Defence products from both Public and Private sector have been released during the month of March 2022.
· In order to boost defence exports, webinars are organised with Friendly Foreign Countries  under the aegis of DDP, MoD through Industry Associations. Total 33 such webinars have been organised so far.
· A mechanism on ‘Enabling Foreign Delegations  visiting India to meet Defence Exporters’ has been set up to understand the capabilities of Indian defence industry and to explore potential areas of their interest.
Innovations for Defence Excellence - Defence Innovation Organisation  has shared Memorandum of Intent  with United States of America , United Kingdom , Australia and Sweden to increase cooperation on Defence innovation and take steps to enable deeper collaboration in the areas of innovation, science, and technology ecosystems.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram in Lok Sabha today.
ABB/Savvy
(Visitor Counter : 722
Ministry of Defence
Indian Air Force to organise static display at air force station sonegoan on the occasion of second anniversary of the Surgical Strike
To commemorate Second Anniversary of Surgical Strike a static display is being organized at Air Force Station Sonegoan Nagpur. Indian citizens are welcome to visit Air Force Station Sonegoan Nagpur on 28 Sep 18 and 29 Sep 18 from 0900h to 1600h to witness the static display. Visitors must carry valid photo identity proof like Aadhaar Card, PAN card, Driving License or any other photo identity issues by Govt of India.